B.C. girls and women get a step up in the navy and coast guard

Girls and women in B.C. can get a step up on careers in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard as the Achieve Anything Foundation brings two events to Vancouver and Greater Victoria over the next few weeks.

The foundation wants to dispel the myth that careers in the two organizations are just for boys and men, so the not-for-profit is bringing a Royal Canadian Navy warship to Vancouver’s harbour on Jan. 27 and bringing select girls and women aboard for a day.

The group will get tours of ship duty stations, crew quarters and operational equipment, a Royal Canadian Air Force joint search and rescue demonstration, a ship firefighting simulation and a demonstration of the warship’s manoeuvring capabilities.

“As an equal opportunity employer, the Royal Canadian Navy is proud to support Operation: This IS You!” said Maritime Forces Pacific Rear Admiral Art McDonald. “Seeing us in action, you’ll discover not just what we do but also how [we do it].”

The coast guard, meanwhile, is coming to Sidney on Feb. 3 to teach girls and women about search and rescue, the Canadian hydrographic service, marine communications and traffic services, electronics, marine engineering and a tour of CCGS Gordon Reid.

There is a third event, a search and rescue day with the coast guard, at the hovercraft base in Richmond on March 31.

The events come on the heels of several successful 2017 events where girls and women from all over B.C. tried out careers in the airforce and the coast guard.